Integrated dual source recycling system for chemical laser weapon systems

ABSTRACT

An integrated dual source recycling system and method for a chemical oxygen-iodine laser system is described. The recycling system primarily includes: (1) a first collection system for collecting an amount of spent basic hydrogen peroxide comprised of spent aqueous potassium chloride; and (2) a second collection system for collecting an amount of the spent laser exhaust gas. Several processing systems are also employed to convert the spent aqueous potassium chloride and the spent laser exhaust gas into hydrogen peroxide and potassium hydroxide which are mixed together to form fresh basic hydrogen peroxide. Additionally, the spent laser exhaust gas is recycled back into molecular nitrogen, molecular iodine, molecular oxygen, and molecular chlorine.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/730,722 filed on Dec. 6, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,279. Thedisclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to chemical laser systems, andmore particularly to a new and improved integrated dual source recyclingsystem for collecting, reprocessing and recycling various chemicalspecies that are used by chemical laser weapon systems.

BACKGROUND

The fact that an atom will emit a photon of radiation when one of itselectrons drops to a lower energy state has enabled the laser to beemployed in a number of military, industrial, and medical applications.The term “laser” is an acronym for light amplification by stimulatedemission of radiation. In its simplest form, a laser consists of a rodof transparent crystal or a tube filled with gas or liquid. A reflectingmirror is placed at one end and a partially reflecting mirror at theother end. The laser is then pumped by adding energy, e.g., by shininganother light source into it, by adding electrical energy, or bystimulating a chemical reaction. This process raises electrons in thelaser to higher energy states.

During or subsequent to the pumping process, some of the electrons willspontaneously fall back to a lower energy state, emitting photons. Thephotons that travel toward the sides of the laser are quickly lost, butthose traveling along the length of the rod or tube are reflected backby the mirrors. This activity generally occurs in the area commonlyreferred to as the laser gain region. When these photons strike otherexcited atoms, they stimulate those atoms to release photons of theexact same energy level (or wavelength), which travel in the samedirection as the stimulating photons. The result is an intense, highlyfocused beam of light escaping through the half-silvered end of thelaser. This light beam is generally referred to as a beam of coherentradiation, or more commonly, a laser beam.

Because the photon wavelength is determined by the characteristics ofthe atoms in the lasing material, laser light can be of a singlewavelength. Because laser light travels in a tight beam, it can carry agreat deal of energy over a great distance without significant loss.With respect to recent developments in laser technology, there has beenincreased interest in high-energy chemical laser systems.

Current high-energy chemical lasers can be classified as either: (1)hydrogen-halide lasers; or (2) chemical oxygen-iodine lasers (COIL).Hydrogen-halide lasers typically employ a reaction of hydrogen and/ordeuterium with fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine in diluent gases ofhelium, nitrogen, or the like, to produce hydrogen and/or deuteriumhalide molecules in excited vibrational states from which laser energycan be extracted. Exhaust from the laser cavity of a hydrogen-halidelaser is typically a mixture of gases at high temperature (up to 1000°C.) including HF (and/or DF), He, N2, and possibly small amounts of H2(and/or D2), and other gases.

In current COIL systems, chlorine gas, with or without a diluent gassuch as nitrogen or helium, reacts at low pressure with a solution ofbasic hydrogen peroxide (i.e., usually NaOH, KOH or other strong basemixed with hydrogen peroxide) to produce a gaseous flow of excitedoxygen, also referred to as singlet delta oxygen or singlet molecularoxygen (designated as O2*, O2(1Δ), as well as by other symbols). Thisgaseous flow of singlet delta oxygen mixes (typically at speedsapproaching or even exceeding the speed of sound) with iodine gasmolecules (i.e., I2) generally mixed with a diluent gas such as nitrogenor helium, dissociating them and exciting the resulting iodine atoms(i.e., I), which lase at 1.315 μm. The major laser byproducts arevarious salts (e.g., NaCl or KCl), water, and heat. Exhaust from theCOIL laser cavity is typically a mixture of gases at near ambienttemperature, including nitrogen or helium, oxygen, and small amounts ofchlorine, iodine, and water. The gas is recompressed, the small amountsof chlorine and iodine can be scrubbed from the output, and theresulting gas exhausted.

The intended operation of a conventional COIL system can be summarizedas follows. The initial step is to generate the singlet delta oxygen.This is accomplished by providing a source of basic hydrogen peroxide,typically in liquid form, and a source of molecular chlorine, typicallyin gaseous form. These two materials are then charged or injected into asinglet delta oxygen generator through appropriate manifold/conduitassemblies, respectively. The resulting exothermic reaction between thebasic hydrogen peroxide liquid and the molecular chlorine gas producesthe gaseous singlet delta oxygen, as well as several by-products, suchas salt and heat. The heat can be removed by appropriate devices such asa heat exchanger, and the salt can be removed by appropriate devicessuch as a filter, if desired.

Once the gaseous singlet delta oxygen is generated, it is then chargedor injected in flow form into a mixing nozzle at the appropriate time.The mixing nozzle has a throat portion which generally divides themixing nozzle into a subsonic zone and a supersonic zone; that is, theflow of gaseous singlet delta oxygen is subsonic in one portion of themixing nozzle and supersonic at the other portion of the mixing nozzle.The mixing of reactants is typically done in the subsonic zone, buttheir mixing can be done in other zones of the gain generator.

A molecular iodine generator is in communication with the mixing nozzleby an appropriate manifold/conduit assembly. At the appropriate time,gaseous molecular iodine is then charged or injected into the mixingnozzle in such a manner so as to partially or completely mix with thesinglet delta oxygen gas flowing from the singlet delta oxygengenerator. The mixing permits the singlet delta oxygen to dissociatesome of the molecular iodine and thereby initiate the chain reactiondissociation by the product, excited atomic iodine.

The primary reactions taking place in connection with the conventionalCOIL system are as follows:I2+NO2*→I2*+NO2  (1)

That is, a mole of molecular iodine reacts with several moles (denotedby the symbol “N”) of singlet delta oxygen to produce a mole of excitedmolecular iodine and several moles of molecular oxygen.I2*+O2*→2I+O2  (2)

That is, a mole of excited molecular iodine reacts with a mole ofsinglet delta oxygen to produce two moles of atomic iodine and a mole ofmolecular oxygen.I+O2*→I*+O2  (3)

That is, a mole of atomic iodine reacts with a mole of singlet deltaoxygen to produce a mole of excited atomic iodine and a mole ofmolecular oxygen.I*+hv→I+2hv.  (4)

That is, a molecule of excited atomic iodine interacts with a photon andreleases a second photon (hv), thus producing a molecule of atomiciodine.

The singlet delta oxygen gas flow initially contacts the gaseousmolecular iodine gas at subsonic speed; however, the singlet deltaoxygen gas flow is quickly brought up to near supersonic or evensupersonic speed (via appropriate devices such as a venturi) and isexpelled out through the mixing nozzle into the area known as the lasercavity or laser gain region. It is in this area where the excited atomiciodine releases its photon. The released photons are then reflectedbetween a set of mirrors, the first mirror being fully reflective, thesecond mirror being partially reflective. The reflected photonseventually form a laser beam, which is transmitted through the partiallyreflective mirror at a wavelength of 1.315 μm. Any remaining chemicalspecies are removed from the laser gain region by a combination ofexhaust assemblies and scrubber assemblies in order to avoidcontamination of the laser's mirrors and to allow continuing flow of thelaser chemicals so as to sustain the lasing process.

One particular application of chemical laser systems that is ofsignificant interest is in space-based lasers (SBL's). As part of aballistic missile defense system, SBL's have the potential ofintercepting and destroying enemy missiles prior to them reaching theirintended targets. An SBL system would achieve missile interception byfocusing and maintaining a high powered laser on a target until itachieves catastrophic destruction. Because the SBL system typicallyrequires very large amounts of laser power to achieve it's operationalobjectives, it is unlikely that an electrically driven laser systemwould be a practical source of power, at least for the foreseeablefuture. However, it is generally believed that the amount of energyneeded for the sustained laser burst can be produced by currentlyavailable COIL systems.

Unfortunately, an SBL system employing a COIL system necessarily meansthat the COIL system would have to rely on the limited amount ofchemical supplies on board the vehicle at the time of launch. However,the COIL system would require resupply of those particular chemicals,especially basic hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, iodine, and nitrogen,after the SBL has conducted it's missile destruction mission. As the SBLsystems are to be deployed in orbit above the Earth, rapid and frequentresupply of these chemicals would be highly problematic even under idealconditions, and would be especially difficult during and immediatelyafter any type of prolonged ballistic missile exchange. Accordingly,current SBL system designs which employ COIL systems have no means ofresupplying the chemicals required for COIL system operation. Thus, theresupply problem has been identified as a significant impediment tofuture development and deployment of the SBL system.

While the difficulty of resupply may not be as extreme as for an SBLsystem, there are numerous other applications for COIL lasers for whichfuel resupply is complex, costly, and difficult. For examples, COILlasers may be used in ground and airborne applications, where fuelresupply may be hindered by location and weight restrictions.

Therefore, there exists a need for a system for collecting, reprocessingand recycling the spent chemical species required by a COIL system,especially one that is used in conjunction with either a ground-,airborne-, or space-based laser weapon system, irrespective of thesource of the spent chemical species.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,685 discloses a chemical laser including a laserpump which is relatively lightweight with no moving parts. This producesa low pressure, regenerable, closed system for treating laser cavityexhaust gases to remove (i.e., pump) them from the system. The exhaustgases which emerge from the laser cavity of the chemical laser arepumped by reacting them preferably with titanium, titanium-zirconiumalloys, zirconium, tantalum, etc. These gases include hydrogen,deuterium and their halides, the halogens, oxygen, CO2, nitrogen andH2O.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,069 discloses that contaminants, such as water andhydrogen sulfide, are removed from hydrocarbon streams by the use ofbeds of solid adsorbents including molecular sieves. The adsorbents areregenerated by heating, with the heating being performed in aclosed-loop operation wherein a small quantity of the hydrocarbon beingtreated is recycled in a closed-loop recirculation system comprising theadsorbent and a heater until the adsorbent reaches an effectiveregeneration temperature.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,592 discloses a closed cycle chemical laser adaptedfor continuous wave operation. A first gas such as sulphur hexafluorideis decomposed by an electrical discharge means to provide at least somefluorine atoms which when combined with molecular hydrogen in a mixingchamber located upstream of and proximate to an optical power extractionchamber forms an excited laser species capable of stimulated emission toproduce a continuous wave output beam. After passing through the opticalcavity the effluent is purified by selective absorption and adsorptionprocesses to eliminate the laser species from the effluent and toseparate the hydrogen for recirculation back to the mixing chamber. Theremaining effluent has its pressure increased, is supplemented withmakeup feed gases and is recycled.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,309 discloses an apparatus and method for generatingon demand a gaseous product from a liquid phase reaction of one reactantin the solid phase at ambient room conditions and another reactant inthe liquid phase at ambient room conditions. The reactants preferablyare iodine crystals, and liquid tetrahydronaphthalene (THN), with thegaseous product being hydrogen iodide. The liquid phase reaction, in thepreferred embodiment, is 2I2+C10H12ζ4HI+C10H8, known per se. Preferably,THN is pumped from a reservoir to be sprinkled over the iodine crystalsin another reservoir. Some iodine dissolves into the liquid THN, withthe resulting solution then percolating through a reaction zonecontaining a heated, porous packing material. Heat is transferred to thesolution, thereby promoting, i.e., driving the above reaction. Thegaseous hydrogen iodide is then removed from the reaction zone;typically for direct use, for example, in a chemical laser.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,027 discloses a high energy chemical laser capableof being operated in an aircraft to interdict and destroy theaterballistic missiles. A key to the chemical laser of the invention is theuse of individual chemical lasers whose individual photon energy outputscan be combined into a single high-energy laser beam.

SUMMARY

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a newand improved chemical laser system.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedchemical oxygen-iodine laser system.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedchemical oxygen-iodine laser system for use with a space-based lasersystem.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedsystem for collecting, reprocessing, and recycling the chemical speciesused by a chemical oxygen-iodine laser system.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedsystem for collecting, reprocessing, and recycling the spent basichydrogen peroxide produced by a chemical oxygen-iodine laser system.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedsystem for collecting, reprocessing, and recycling the spent molecularoxygen utilized by a chemical oxygen-iodine laser system.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedsystem for collecting, reprocessing, and recycling the spent molecularnitrogen or other diluents utilized by a chemical oxygen-iodine lasersystem.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedsystem for collecting, reprocessing, and recycling the spent basichydrogen peroxide produced by a chemical oxygen-iodine laser system, andconverting chemicals in the spent basic hydrogen peroxide into potassiumhydroxide and hydrogen peroxide.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedsystem for collecting, reprocessing, and recycling the spent basichydrogen peroxide produced by a chemical oxygen-iodine laser system, andconverting the spent basic hydrogen peroxide into molecular chlorine andfresh basic hydrogen peroxide.

In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, achemical oxygen-iodine laser system is provided having a source ofpotassium hydroxide, molecular chlorine gas, hydrogen peroxide,molecular iodine gas, and molecular nitrogen gas, wherein the systemproduces spent water, spent aqueous basic hydrogen peroxide, and spentlaser exhaust gas comprising molecular oxygen, molecular nitrogen,molecular chlorine, molecular iodine, and molecular water, comprising:

a first collection system for collecting an amount of spent basichydrogen peroxide comprised of spent aqueous potassium chloride;

a second collection system for collecting an amount of the spent laserexhaust gas;

a first processing system in fluid communication with the secondcollection system, wherein the first processing system receives thespent laser exhaust gas from the second collection system and separatesthe spent molecular oxygen gas from the spent molecular nitrogen gas;

a second processing system in fluid communication with the firstprocessing system, wherein the second processing system receives thespent aqueous potassium chloride from the first collection system andconverts the spent aqueous potassium chloride and the spent aqueouspotassium iodide into a substance selected from the group consisting ofmolecular hydrogen, molecular chlorine, aqueous potassium hydroxide, andcombinations thereof;

a third processing system in fluid communication with the first andsecond processing systems, wherein the molecular oxygen gas from thefirst processing system is combined with a substance selected from thegroup consisting of the spent water, the molecular hydrogen from thesecond processing system, or combinations thereof to form hydrogenperoxide; and

a mixing system for mixing the hydrogen peroxide from the thirdprocessing system with the aqueous potassium hydroxide from the secondprocessing system to form basic hydrogen peroxide.

In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, achemical oxygen-iodine laser system is provided having a source ofpotassium hydroxide, molecular chlorine gas, hydrogen peroxide,molecular iodine gas, and molecular nitrogen gas, wherein the systemproduces spent water, spent aqueous basic hydrogen peroxide, and spentlaser exhaust gas comprising molecular oxygen, molecular nitrogen,molecular chlorine, molecular iodine, and molecular water, comprising:

a first collection system for collecting an amount of spent basichydrogen peroxide comprised of spent aqueous potassium chloride;

a second collection system for collecting an amount of the spent laserexhaust gas;

a first processing system in fluid communication with the firstcollection system, wherein the first processing system separates thespent aqueous potassium chloride into a first stream comprising waterand a second stream comprising aqueous potassium;

a second processing system in fluid communication with the secondprocessing system, wherein the second processing system receives thespent laser exhaust gas and separates the molecular oxygen and themolecular nitrogen from the molecular chlorine and the molecular iodine;

a third processing system in fluid communication with the firstprocessing system, wherein the third processing system converts thespent aqueous potassium chloride into a substance selected from thegroup consisting of molecular hydrogen, molecular chlorine, aqueouspotassium hydroxide, and combinations thereof;

a fourth processing system in fluid communication with the secondprocessing system, wherein the fourth processing system separates themolecular oxygen from the molecular nitrogen;

a fifth processing system in fluid communication with the first, third,and fourth processing systems, wherein the molecular oxygen from thefourth processing system is combined with a substance selected from thegroup consisting of the spent water from the first processing system,the molecular hydrogen from the third processing system, or combinationsthereof to form hydrogen peroxide; and

a mixing system for mixing the hydrogen peroxide from the fourthprocessing system with the aqueous potassium hydroxide from the thirdprocessing system to form basic hydrogen peroxide.

In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, achemical oxygen-iodine laser system is provided having a source ofpotassium hydroxide, molecular chlorine gas, hydrogen peroxide,molecular iodine gas, and molecular nitrogen gas, wherein the systemproduces spent water, spent aqueous basic hydrogen peroxide, and spentlaser exhaust gas comprising molecular oxygen, molecular nitrogen,molecular chlorine, molecular iodine, and molecular water, comprising:

a first collection system for collecting an amount of spent basichydrogen peroxide comprised of spent aqueous potassium chloride;

a second collection system for collecting an amount of the spent laserexhaust gas;

a first processing system in fluid communication with the firstcollection system, wherein the first processing system separates thespent aqueous potassium chloride into a first stream comprising waterand a second stream comprising aqueous potassium;

a second processing system in fluid communication with the secondprocessing system, wherein the second processing system receives thespent laser exhaust gas and separates the molecular oxygen and themolecular nitrogen from the molecular chlorine and the molecular iodine,and separates the molecular chlorine from the molecular iodine;

a third processing system in fluid communication with the firstprocessing system, wherein the third processing system converts thespent aqueous potassium chloride into a substance selected from thegroup consisting of molecular hydrogen, molecular chlorine, aqueouspotassium hydroxide, and combinations thereof;

a fourth processing system in fluid communication with the secondprocessing system, wherein the fourth processing system separates themolecular oxygen from the molecular nitrogen;

a fifth processing system in fluid communication with the first, third,and fourth processing systems, wherein the molecular oxygen from thefourth processing system is combined with a substance selected from thegroup consisting of the spent water from the first processing system,the molecular hydrogen from the third processing system, or combinationsthereof to form hydrogen peroxide; and

a mixing system for mixing the hydrogen peroxide from the fourthprocessing system with the aqueous potassium hydroxide from the thirdprocessing system to form basic hydrogen peroxide;

wherein the molecular chlorine is returned to the molecular chlorine gassource and the molecular iodine is returned to the molecular iodine gassource;

wherein the basic hydrogen peroxide from the mixing system is introducedinto the basic hydrogen peroxide source.

The features, functions, and advantages can be achieved independently invarious embodiments of the present inventions or may be combined in yetother embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a system for collecting spentbasic hydrogen peroxide and spent laser exhaust gas and recycling sameinto fresh basic hydrogen peroxide, molecular chlorine, moleculariodine, molecular nitrogen, and molecular oxygen, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merelyexemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention,its application, or uses.

In order to fully appreciate the features and advantages of the presentinvention, it is first necessary to understand the basic overallchemical reaction which occurs during COIL operation. Simply stated, theoverall reaction can be summarized as follows:˜1.1 Cl2+H2O2+2KOHζ2KCl (aq)+˜1.9H2O (aq)+˜0.1H2O+O2 (1Δ+χ)+˜1.0 Cl2

In this equation, starting from the left hand side of the equation andprogressing to the right, approximately 1.1 moles of molecular chlorineis combined with fresh basic hydrogen peroxide (BHP), which provides onemole of hydrogen peroxide and 2 moles of potassium hydroxide. Thismixture is reacted together and produces spent BHP (i.e., 2 moles ofpotassium chloride (i.e., a salt) and approximately 1.9 moles of waterin solution) as well as some of the laser mixing nozzle gaseousreactants (i.e., approximately 0.1 moles of gaseous water, 1 mole ofmolecular oxygen (in delta singlet and ground state forms) andapproximately 0.1 moles of molecular chlorine which does not react withBHP).

These gaseous reactants are then introduced into the laser mixing nozzlein the presence of molecular iodine (approximately 0.01 moles) and thediluent gas (e.g., 5 moles of molecular nitrogen). The diluent gas mayalso include heavy inert gases such as argon, krypton, and xenon, freon,freon substitutes, and other gases known to be non-reacting with thegases in the laser nozzle cavity but which are condensable or adsorbablein a sealed exhaust system (e.g., chlorine). As previously described, alaser beam is then generated, with the waste gases typically exhaustedthrough a vacuum system or directly to space, in the situation where theCOIL system is space-based.

Thus, the present invention is primarily concerned with conserving theavailable supplies of fresh BHP, molecular chlorine, molecular iodine,and molecular nitrogen in a space-based or other COIL system, whereresupply of any chemicals is difficult. Furthermore, the presentinvention is also concerned with recycling, where possible, any spentsupplies of BHP in order to generate fresh BHP, as well as recycledmolecular chlorine, molecular iodine, molecular nitrogen, and otherchemical species.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic illustration of anillustrative system 10 for collecting spent basic hydrogen peroxide andspent laser exhaust gas and recycling same into fresh basic hydrogenperoxide, molecular chlorine, molecular iodine, molecular nitrogen, andmolecular oxygen, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

In this view, the system 10 includes a source of molecular chlorine 12and a source of basic hydrogen peroxide (BHP) 14 which are combinedtogether to produce spent BHP, which is a solution containing aqueouspotassium chloride (potassium chloride (KCl) and water (H₂O)), as wellas unreacted potassium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide (i.e., BHP). Themolecular chlorine may be mixed with nitrogen or other diluent gas priorto reaction. The spent BHP is then collected in a collection system 16(e.g., a storage tank) for later use, as will be described herein.

The remaining COIL laser nozzle reactants 18 (i.e., water, singlet deltaoxygen and molecular chlorine) are then combined with a source 20 ofmolecular iodine carried in a source 21 of molecular nitrogen (or othercompound) diluent gas in the COIL laser mixing nozzle 22, whereupon alaser beam 24 is generated with the waste laser gases (e.g., oxygen,nitrogen, trace amounts of water, iodine and chlorine) exhausted into asealed exhaust system 26, as opposed to being exhausted out into space.In this manner, the source 20 of molecular iodine and the source 21 ofmolecular nitrogen can be resupplied through a recycling system to bedescribed herein.

The sealed exhaust system 26 preferably includes a means for selectivelycollecting, storing, and releasing the exhaust gases of the COIL system,especially oxygen and nitrogen gases. Preferably, the water, chlorineand iodine gases are first condensed and then the nitrogen and oxygengases are absorbed (e.g., cryosorbed onto zeolite). For example, theexhaust gases can enter a high temperature bed (HTB), through a suitableconduit, where the water, chlorine and iodine gases are completely orsubstantially completely condensed to solids or liquids. The HTBpreferably comprises: (1) a bed of heat and gas storage media, which maybe passive or undergo a phase change on heating; and (2) suitable gaspassages to permit the laser exhaust gas to flow through the bed withacceptably low pressure drop. The nitrogen and oxygen gases then passinto a low temperature bed (LTB), through a suitable conduit, whichcontains a zeolite absorption bed. In the event that a diluent lessvolatile than nitrogen is used it may condense in the HTB rather thanadsorb in the LTB.

To begin the recycling process, the spent BHP is transported from thestorage system 16 via an appropriate conduit or pipe 28 to a firstprocessing system 30, which is preferably a system which employs aseparation process capable of separating liquid and solid materials. Theabsorbed gases (e.g., nitrogen and oxygen) and condensed gases (e.g.,chlorine and iodine) from the sealed exhaust system 26 are transportedto a second processing system 60 via an appropriate conduit or pipe 32.Once these materials are introduced into the second processing system60, it is generally necessary to separate the various chemical speciesbefore further processing and recycling can take place.

The simplest recycling step involves recycling the nitrogen gas back tothe source 21 of molecular nitrogen. The gases from the secondprocessing system 60, which will typically contain nitrogen and oxygengas are transported to a third processing system 34 via an appropriateconduit or pipe 36. The third processing system 34 preferably employs apressure swing adsorption system or a membrane separator system thatallows gaseous mixtures to be separated into their individualconstituent gases. In this case, the third processing system 34separates the nitrogen gas from the oxygen gas. The nitrogen gas is thensimply transported back to the source 21 of molecular nitrogen via anappropriate conduit or pipe 38. The separated oxygen gas will beutilized later, as described herein. The gases from the secondprocessing system 60 are also separated into a molecular chlorine streamwhich is returned to the molecular chlorine source 12 via conduit orpipe 34, and molecular iodine, which is returned to the iodine source 20via conduit or pipe 24.

Another recycling step involves the production of potassium hydroxidefor replenishing the supply of fresh BHP. To accomplish this task, thesolid and liquid materials (e.g., potassium chloride and water) from thefirst processing system 30 are transported to a fourth processing system40 via an appropriate conduit or pipe 42. Preferably, the fourthprocessing system 40 employs electrolysis to treat the salts, which maybe in an aqueous form. Additional water may be sent to this process fromthe second processing system 60 via conduit or pipe 43. The electrolysissystem can be electrically powered using solar power, for example fromthe vehicle's solar panels or other electrical source. The potassiumchloride is then converted, preferably via electrolysis, into three mainconstituent chemical species: molecular hydrogen, aqueous potassiumhydroxide, and molecular chlorine.

Still another recycling step involves the production of hydrogenperoxide for replenishing the supply of fresh BHP. Because of theintegrated nature of the system 10, and the fact that dual sources ofrecyclable materials are utilized, the present invention provides anumber of ways of producing the hydrogen peroxide.

In general, it is preferred to utilize the molecular hydrogen andmolecular oxygen produced or recovered elsewhere in the system 10.Depending on the methodology employed, the production of fresh BHP canbe done by a direct combination of molecular hydrogen and molecularoxygen or by combining molecular hydrogen and some of the molecularoxygen to form water, and then by oxidation of water to hydrogenperoxide with the remaining molecular oxygen.

Direct oxidation can be done over a suitable catalyst or by use of apair of chemicals that are cyclically reduced and oxidized, producinghydrogen peroxide as the net product.

Oxidation of water can be done over a catalyst or by use of anelectrochemical cell. Even when the molecular hydrogen and molecularoxygen are reacted directly, generally water is required as the mediatorand carrier for the hydrogen peroxide product.

The hydrogen peroxide can also be made in an aqueous acidic or basicmedium, in which case it may be necessary to provide a source of acid(base is of course readily available from the prior process whichproduced potassium hydroxide).

Producing acid is probably best accomplished by reacting molecularchlorine with some of the molecular hydrogen (forming hydrogen chloride,which dissolves to form hydrochloric acid) or with water to form amixture of hydrochloric acid and hypochlorous acid.

In cases in which hydrogen peroxide is being made in basic medium, thepotassium hydroxide is fed into a hydrogen peroxide producing reactor.Achieving the desired ratio of hydrogen peroxide to potassium hydroxidemay require that some of the potassium hydroxide be reacted withhydrochloric acid to re-convert it to potassium chloride.

The processing of the aqueous potassium chloride, as well as theproduction of hydrogen peroxide, may require additional water, which canbe separately removed from the spent BHP.

By way of a non-limiting example, a first method includes introducingthe water from the first processing system 30 into a fifth processingsystem 44 via an appropriate conduit or pipe 46 and combining the waterwith the molecular oxygen produced by the second processing system 34which is also introduced into the fifth processing system 44 via anappropriate conduit or pipe 48. Preferably, the fifth processing system44 produces the hydrogen peroxide utilizing an electrogeneration system,i.e., uses electrical power to produce or generate the hydrogenperoxide. In accordance with a highly preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, an electrochemical cell is used to generate thehydrogen peroxide. The fifth processing system 44 can be electricallypowered using solar power, for example from the vehicle's solar panelsor other electrical source.

Another non-limiting method includes introducing the hydrogen from thefourth processing system 40 into the fifth processing system 44 via anappropriate conduit or pipe 50 and combining the hydrogen with themolecular oxygen produced by the third processing system 34 which isalso introduced into the fifth processing system 44 via conduit or pipe48.

Once the hydrogen peroxide is produced, it is then transported via anappropriate conduit or pipe 52 to a mixer system 54 where it iscombined, in proper stoichiometric ratios, with the potassium hydroxidewhich is also transported via an appropriate conduit or pipe 56 to themixer system 50.

When the hydrogen peroxide and the aqueous potassium hydroxide arefinally mixed the result is fresh BHP, which is then transported to thefresh BHP source 14 via an appropriate conduit or pipe 58, thuspreserving and conserving the amount of fresh BHP that is required bythe COIL system associated with an SBL system.

The molecular chlorine gas from the fourth processing system 40 isreturned to the molecular chlorine source 12 via an appropriate conduitor pipe 62. If this material is in aqueous form, a drying operation(e.g., evaporation) is probably advisable.

In this manner, a COIL system employing the recycling system of thepresent invention can carry the same amount of supply chemicals, such asmolecular chlorine, molecular iodine, molecular nitrogen, and fresh BHP,as a conventional COIL system and can operate for a longer period oftime and execute more laser burst operations before needing to beresupplied.

Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoingdescription that the broad teachings of the present invention can beimplemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this invention hasbeen described in connection with particular examples thereof, the truescope of the invention should not be so limited since othermodifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon astudy of the drawings, specification and following claims.

1. A method of operating a chemical oxygen-iodine laser, comprising:coupling the chemical oxygen-iodine laser system to a source ofpotassium hydroxide, a source of molecular chlorine gas, a source ofhydrogen peroxide, a source of molecular iodine gas, and a source ofmolecular nitrogen gas; reacting at least one of potassium hydroxide, amolecular chlorine gas, a hydrogen peroxide, a molecular iodine gas, anda molecular nitrogen gas; producing at least one of spent water, spentaqueous basic hydrogen peroxide, and spent laser exhaust gas thatincludes molecular oxygen, molecular nitrogen, molecular chlorine,molecular iodine, and molecular water collecting an amount of the spentbasic hydrogen peroxide including an amount of spent aqueous potassiumchloride; collecting an amount of the spent laser exhaust gas;processing the spent laser exhaust gas to separate the spent molecularoxygen gas from the spent molecular nitrogen gas; processing the amountof spent aqueous potassium to convert the amount of spent aqueouspotassium chloride and the spent aqueous potassium iodide into asubstance selected from the group consisting of molecular hydrogen,molecular chlorine, aqueous potassium hydroxide, and combinationsthereof; combining the molecular oxygen gas with a substance selectedfrom the group consisting of the spent water, the molecular hydrogen, orcombinations thereof to form hydrogen peroxide; and mixing the hydrogenperoxide from with the aqueous potassium hydroxide to form basichydrogen peroxide.
 2. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: processing the molecular chlorine and the molecular iodineto separate the molecular chlorine from the molecular iodine.
 3. Themethod according to claim 2, further comprising: returning the molecularchlorine to the molecular chlorine gas source.
 4. The method accordingto claim 2, further comprising: returning the molecular iodine to themolecular iodine gas source.
 5. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: introducing the basic hydrogen peroxide to the basichydrogen peroxide source.
 6. The method according to claim 1, whereinprocessing the spent laser exhaust gas includes processing the spentlaser exhaust gas with at least one of a pressure swing adsorptionsystem, a membrane separator system, and combinations thereof.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein processing the amount of spentaqueous potassium comprises an applying an electrical current to theamount of spent aqueous potassium.
 8. The method according to claim 1,wherein combining the molecular oxygen gas includes generating anelectrical current to assist in the combination.
 9. The method accordingto claim 1, further comprising: generating power from a light source.10. The method according to claim 1, wherein collecting an amount of thespent laser exhaust gas includes: condensing the spent molecularchlorine, molecular iodine, and molecular water contained in the spentlaser exhaust gas; and sorbing the spent molecular oxygen and molecularnitrogen contained in the spent laser exhaust gas.
 11. A method foroperating a chemical oxygen-iodine laser system coupled to a source ofpotassium hydroxide, molecular chlorine gas, hydrogen peroxide,molecular iodine gas, and molecular nitrogen gas, wherein the systemproduces spent water, spent aqueous basic hydrogen peroxide, and spentlaser exhaust gas comprising molecular oxygen, molecular nitrogen,molecular chlorine, molecular iodine, and molecular water, comprising:collecting an amount of spent basic hydrogen peroxide comprised of spentaqueous potassium chloride; collecting an amount of the spent laserexhaust gas; separating the spent aqueous potassium chloride into afirst stream comprising water and a second stream comprising aqueouspotassium chloride; separating the molecular oxygen and the molecularnitrogen from the molecular chlorine and the molecular iodine in thespent laser exhaust gas; converting the spent aqueous potassium chlorideinto a substance selected from the group consisting of molecularhydrogen, molecular chlorine, aqueous potassium hydroxide, andcombinations thereof; separating the molecular oxygen from the molecularnitrogen; combining the molecular oxygen with a substance selected fromthe group consisting of the spent water, the molecular hydrogen, orcombinations thereof to form hydrogen peroxide; and mixing the hydrogenperoxide with the aqueous potassium hydroxide to form basic hydrogenperoxide.
 12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:separating the molecular chlorine from the molecular iodine.
 13. Themethod according to claim 11, further comprising: returning themolecular chlorine to the molecular chlorine gas source; and returningthe molecular iodine to the molecular iodine gas source.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 11, further comprising: introducing the basichydrogen peroxide into the basic hydrogen peroxide source.
 15. Themethod according to claim 11, wherein separating the molecular oxygenfrom the molecular nitrogen includes separating the molecular oxygenfrom the molecular nitrogen with at least one of a pressure swingadsorption system, a membrane separator system, and combinationsthereof.
 16. The invention according to claim 11, wherein converting thespent aqueous potassium chloride third processing system includesproviding an electrical current to assist in wherein converting thespent aqueous potassium chloride.
 17. The method according to claim 11,further comprising: generating an electrical current.
 18. The methodaccording to claim 11, further comprising: producing electrical powerwith a light source.
 19. The method according to claim 11, whereincollecting an amount of the spent laser exhaust gas includes: condensingthe spent molecular chlorine, molecular iodine, and molecular watercontained in the spent laser exhaust gas; and sorbing the spentmolecular oxygen and molecular nitrogen contained in the spent laserexhaust gas.
 20. A method of operating a chemical oxygen-iodine lasersystem, coupled to a potassium hydroxide source, molecular chlorine gassource, hydrogen peroxide source, molecular iodine gas source, andmolecular nitrogen gas source, wherein the system produces spent water,spent aqueous basic hydrogen peroxide, and spent laser exhaust gasincluding molecular oxygen, molecular nitrogen, molecular chlorine,molecular iodine, and molecular water, the method comprising: collectingan amount of spent basic hydrogen peroxide including aqueous potassiumchloride; collecting an amount of the spent laser exhaust gas;separating the spent aqueous potassium chloride into a first streamcomprising water and a second stream comprising aqueous potassiumchloride; separating the spent laser exhaust gas the molecular oxygenand the molecular nitrogen from the molecular chlorine and the moleculariodine, separating the molecular chlorine from the molecular iodine;converting the spent aqueous potassium chloride into a substanceselected from the group consisting of molecular hydrogen, molecularchlorine, aqueous potassium hydroxide, and combinations thereof;separating the molecular oxygen from the molecular nitrogen; forminghydrogen peroxide by combining the molecular oxygen with a substanceselected from the group consisting of the spent water, the molecularhydrogen, or combinations thereof; mixing the hydrogen peroxide with theaqueous potassium hydroxide to form basic hydrogen peroxide; returningthe molecular chlorine to the molecular chlorine gas source; returningthe molecular iodine to the molecular iodine gas source; and introducingthe formed basic hydrogen into the basic hydrogen peroxide source.